Fire in the Forge
by Baconbitz
Summary: A demon from the past returns to haunt our farvoite team, but what happens when that force pushes the Titans into situations beyond they're control? how can everyone stay sane and still save themselves, and the world?
1. The Fire is Lit

Hey guys. So this is the second story I decided to work on, hope you like it.

Baconbitz

Chapter One: Dreams and visions.

_The black clouds had twisted and turned around her Friends. They were failing to defeat her father and now they were going to pay for it. Each were slowly torn apart as their screams permeated the air, raping her ears with their incessant noise. Raven watched them with disinterest._

_Something is wrong here. They took me in… I should feel something for it. Anything really. _

_She took in the scene slowly. Something was definitely wrong… Beastboy looked at her with a hatred so pure it astonished even her, not that she would admit that. She had to wait, for soon her father would relax, gain that superior Arrogance. They just had to die and he would trust her, and then she would destroy him._

_Then she saw it, the tense shoulder muscles relaxing, hands drooping slightly, and the slightest widening of the smile. No emotions came when she rose from the dirt floor. None came when she reached out and tapped her fathers shoulder. One, however, did come to her when she struck him down. It was close to pride, and not too distant from happy. She searched for the word for a moment as her fathers broken body twitched underneath her. Ah. There it was._

_Satisfaction._

Raven woke up gasping, and only after a few valuable trinkets were very well destroyed did she finally gain control of her emotions again. Raven tucked them away as she tried to process the dream. Her heart calmed even when her mind wouldn't, it had been almost two years since the destruction of her father. The fact that she was beginning to dream of him again had nagged at her almost all day and night. She had yet to tell the others, simply because there was nothing concrete enough to tell them.

A frustrated sigh escaped her as she lost it… again. The dream had slipped thru the fingers of her memory. Every time she would get a hold of it, the dream infuriatingly disappeared. At first she had been able to write portions of it down, but the dream escaped so quickly that all she had gotten was that Trigon had returned, and that he hurt her friends. She slowly rose from the bed and decided a shower and tea was in order.

She started to run the water when something caught her attention, it was a wonder Raven felt it in the first place. She exited the bathroom quickly and closed her eyes. Something felt sad… terribly sad. It hid behind a swirl of other emotions but she could see it, like seeing someone thru a stained glass. She could make out emotions all across the board. Fear, anger, joy, and a predatory hunger. A frown covered her face before she cataloged the thought away. It went without saying that she didn't like it when her powers were off and either they were on the fritz, or someone… again she concentrated, reaching out with mind as she assessed the aura. Only a few moments later she came across the conclusion she had been looking for.

"Beastboy." This was not good. She was _not_ looking forward to his pestering tonight… perhaps when she finally came out he would be gone.

It was two in the morning when she finally made it to the kitchen, and to her chagrin Beastboy was there as well. What did surprise her was that he seemed upbeat, completely the opposite of what she had felt earlier. Half of him was bent into the refrigerator, and one foot was tapping a tuneless beat that he seemed to be humming.

"Bah dab a Dum, doot de…. Hey Rae." Beastboy said softly as she quietly approached him. A cocked eyebrow was offered in response.

"What are you doing up so late?" Raven asked as she drifted into the kitchen.

"Getting a snack, what about you?" Beastboy glanced up at her and smiled. This puzzled the female. A blessing and curse, her empathic abilities allowed her to feel the undercurrent of emotions. Beastboy's had always been confusing. It was almost like an onion. Many a time had she been thrown off by his feeling three or four emotions at once. Sometimes it was so completely overwhelming she had to distance herself, and this had been partly to blame for many unplanned trips he had taken to the ocean just outside their home. Beastboy looked up to her, smile still plastered on his face.

"Just getting some tea." Raven said as she pulled out the teapot and filled it with water.

"You know Raven" Beastboy started, and already she could see this dragging on for a while "you don't have to do something to just pop out and say hi." Raven sighed and shook her head.

"You know Beastboy, you don't have to tell lame jokes just to get attention." She retorted, the barb leaving Beastboy seemingly unaffected. Part of her irradiance was his constant raging emotions, and another part was because she honestly didn't find jokes like that funny, and if she verbally lashed him a few times maybe he would stop. A soft chuckle left Beastboy as he finished off his sandwich.

"Wish that were true." Beastboy mumbled as he walked away, only to plop himself on the couch. The comment had not gone unnoticed and Raven had taken intrigue to it. Silence passed until the tea roused each of them from their temporary thoughts.

_Don't ask raven, just don't. It will save you so much sleep that you will otherwise lose. _

_If I don't then he won't get sleep, and if that happens he might screw up if we have to go for a mission. _

_You're really asking for it, you got lucky, take it and run._

_Just shut up._

_Fine, but if anyone asks you were too tired to make a wise decision._

… _Wow… I'm kind of cruel…_

These thoughts did indeed perturb her. After all Beastboy was a friend, and a good one at that. Besides the lack of tasteful jokes and good food, he had been there when raven needed him. There had been many an occasion both on and off the battlefield when Beastboy proved 'worth the effort'. Perhaps just this once she could let it slide and help him out. Raven didn't know if he needed help in the first place, and that was the moment she realized something was indeed wrong.

The whirlwind of emotions were still there , but at a distance. Normally she could tell them apart at least. Now it was like trying to guess the T.V. show on a snowy screen with no volume. The one on the forefront currently was his usual upbeat happy emotions.

Raven did like puzzles, and this had turned into such. Now granted, Beastboy was probably as shallow as they came in the emotional sense. Only once or twice had she felt a deep emotion that was attributed to something real, like when Terra hurt him… both times. Other then that whenever she felt something surprising out of him it had to do with a video game or a harebrained idea Beastboy always seemed to stumble upon. He glanced over as raven sat down and cocked an eyebrow.

"Special occasion?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're sitting within five feet of me and I'm not getting thrown out of a window." She half glared at him.

"You haven't done anything to motivate me so far. Don't ruin it."

"Heh, gotcha. So why are you up so late?"

_I'm dreaming of my demonic sire coming back and harming everyone._

"I just got done meditating and wanted some tea. What about you?" Beastboy's eyes glazed over and for a moment she caught sight past the veil. He was struggling, and it hurt. She didn't give it away on her face but it did worry her. He seemed to come to a conclusion and smiled.

"New game just came out, and I was thinking of sneaking in solid time on it." Normally she would have let it go, wrote it off and forgot about it. This time was different though. Beastboy was _lying. _This struck her as odd. After all it was Beastboy. It's not like much could faze him. Even if it could, he was not one to lie. Sure he would dodge the question, or give a half assed excuse, but a boldfaced lie… something was not right.

"You do know I'm empathic right?" Beastboy's ears drooped a little.

"Good point." He twisted in his seat and disregarded his sandwich. After Beastboy got comfortable he closed his eyes. "I'm just having a hard time dealing with a few things." She took in his position and sighed.

"Am I your Psychologist?" she asked rhetorically.

"No, But the doc did tell me to start bringing up issues I have with other people that I trust." This came as a shock to the demoness.

"Doc?"

"Yeah, don't tell the others. I trust them but if Starfire found out she would try to help, and probably tell Robin. Robin would put me out of commission from missions. Cyborg…. Well actually you can tell him if you want. I think he would be cool about it."

"So… why are you seeing a psychologist?" Raven asked before taking a sip of her tea. Beastboy looked up to her, and for just a moment it seemed like he dropped something of a mask.

"I'm scared Rae. Everyone expects me to be ok but I'm not. Every time I change I can feel more of the animal's instincts, more of what they want. I can't sleep because of it. More and more of the animals are coming out."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly, puzzled. She understood having something underneath that she didn't want to get out. This was Beastboy though… she was beginning to hope that he was as ok as she originally thought.

"I can smell everything in your tea, the new perfume Starfire hid in her room for her next date with robin, and even the fumes from the T car when cyborg was working on it. I can hear everyone talking in different area's of the Tower. You haven't gotten as much sleep as normal. You wake up gasping at night, and your starting to get bags under your eyes. Sometimes I can _smell _the fear on you. You normally take a shower afterwards and use a lavender shampoo and Dove soap." This left raven speechless.

"It's more then that though, for the past few months I've wanted to hibernate, I almost ate a rat in the alley yesterday, and a week before that I wanted to challenge Robin for the packs Alpha spot." Beastboy seemed almost panicked now. Raven slowly set a hand on his shoulder, it was an unsure gesture, but he needed to be comforted.

_Starfires better at this then I am. I don't know how to console people._

Even so Beastboy seemed to calm down for a moment

"I know my jokes seem stupid to you, and I know you think I'm just a pest. At first I did them because I wanted to be accepted, even as a clown I'm still a part of the team. Then it was because even if it was you laughing at me, I just wanted to see you smile… now it's almost the only thing about me I know anymore. I want to eat meat Rae. I want the juiciest steak cyborg could make. I'm getting more vicious with the bad guys. Half the time I'm a predator, and half the time I'm the prey. I'm so tired of getting confused." She nodded slowly, silently Raven considered for a moment how she could help before squeezing his shoulder softly.

"We're a team. More then that we are friends. If you need reminding then just come to me." Beastboy looked up to her, shocked at her proposal.

"You… sure Rae? Your not gonna like… throw me out of a window?" raven rolled her eyes before looking down to him again.

" Yeah Beastboy. Just don't joke about it, otherwise you can go to Cyborg." He smirked.

"For a second I thought someone replaced you with an alien…" he slowly stood and walked to the door. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay." Raven shook her head slowly.

"Beastboy." He turned rather quickly, and his eyes seemed a little too bright.

"Yeah Rae?" she pointed to where he had been at just a few moments ago.

"Don't forget your sandwich." He blushed and chuckled.

"Thanks." He walked back and grabbed it quickly before leaving the room. As Beastboy left raven could almost swear he said something, but she hadn't caught it. Shrugging it off she finished her tea and made her way back to her room.

_In the shadows of the cavern a peasant was playing a piano. The chords struck beautifully together. The tune was darker in nature, and spoke of the pain of loss. Trigon had assumed a smaller shape to fit in the cavern with this young lad. His fingers tightened as he watched the floating orb that showed his daughter._

"_Relax Trigon, you will be there soon enough." Trigon smiled darkly as his eyes fell onto the peasant and took him in for a moment. The clothing and body spoke of some nobody who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. However this was no normal peasant. On closer inspection it revealed his eyes were simply bloody holes. _

"_Good, I will have to pay my dear daughters friends a visit. I will show them the true meaning of torment." The eyeless Peasant chuckled softly, the dark and foreboding nature of this simple gesture would have sent tingles down even Batman's neck. His fingers danced across the keys as his head lulled back and forth to the music._

"_Just remember, my master will not stand for you breaking from your part of the bargain. If even such a thought passes behind those four eyes of yours I will make sure the Gestura feed on what little power you have left, until you're an empty shell for which to be used." Trigon snarled at him._

" _Isn't that how you got your host, Thief?" The Thief shrugged and another chuckle left his lips._

"_I know mere mortals that could crush you into dust for my alchemical tests, Trigon, do not push me." Trigon Grunted. "Trust me Trigon. He is the key to everything."_

"_How can you be certain? The little changeling does not even grasp his full potential."_

"_Exactly. We push him until he finds it, and then we take him away. Your daughter hides her emotions, stifles them with her powers. But he holds a very certain place in her heart. If we strike just the right way… well… you will understand soon. Your problem is you never could manipulate like Master. He understands the potential of a pawn; even they can become Queens." _


	2. Fuel to the Fire

DISCLAIMER: TOTALLY FORGOT IT IN THE FIRST SO HERE IT IS IN CAPS! I OWN NOTHING! that should be good enough for both chapters :)

Special thanks to RaeSM, for reading and double checking my work, it's a major help. Thanks for the reviews; I'll try to keep up the good work lol. Here is chapter two.

Baconbitz

xXx

Beastboy turned his head slightly as he exited the common room. A small smile crossed his lips before he let out a soft whisper. He was unsure if she had heard it but it didn't matter.

"Thanks… for everything, you're more important then you know."

Beastboy devoured the sandwich as he took the well beaten path to his room. By the time Beastboy got there the sandwich was all but gone. A few crumbs stuck to the front of his uniform, but he didn't notice. He was still so psyched about Raven actually sharing in a decent conversation with him. Beastboy did a little jig as he stepped into his room and hopped onto the top bunk. The last thing on his mind was sleep. That quickly changed however and before Beastboy knew it; he was snoring up a storm, and enjoying a nice dream that didn't involve the ocean just outside of his home.

_Trigon Stared into the orb at the small green changeling. It had only been a few minutes and this little fool was grating on his nerves. Trigon slowly began to pace, his anger crashing out like waves on the beach. Only then did he notice the change in the piano music. Before it had been dark and brooding; now it was quick, high in pitch, and drew images of fear into Trigon's mind._

"_What are you doing now Thief?" a smile played on the eyeless beings lips as he moved with the flow of music. The Thief's fingers danced across the keys._

"_Perhaps a different tune would soften your mood." The music changed without notice of transition to a piece that mimicked the calm power of the universe. "Subtle magic is strong magic. You grow in size and destroy everything in your path, change people to stone, and think you own a planet. Imagine tasting the fear, tasting the anger, tasting the hatred of the planet if you simply removed one of their leaders and left no trace. Imagine using lesser beings to control the balance of power between nations, saying just enough to make the mortals think. Controlling and living among this dark subtly is true power. " the Thief licked his lips as a shiver of pleasure seems to run through him._

"_Beastboy must fear. Raven must love. Raven will still be awake once his dream changes, she will no doubt investigate this change, and when she does find him, and gains control of the situation he will be in her arms sobbing. Raven controls her emotions. But love is one emotion that very few beings can control. Memories and emotions are a powerful thing, just the right nudges can cause many to snap." Trigon growled at the subtle insult and turned to face this infuriating being._

"_What makes you believe he would not go to his 'friends' about this? And what makes you so sure Raven won't figure out your magic?" The Thief audibly sighed as he raised the tempo of his beautiful, albeit scary, work. _

"_He is an animal. This Beastboy views Robin as his leader. As he said he would be afraid to be taken away from the work he loves so much. The alien would surely allow Robin insight into the situation should Beastboy confide in her. Beastboy fears Cyborg's opinion would change should he explain to him what is going on. Raven just offered to be a pillar of strength for him, should she know it or not. Watch and learn Trigon, and perhaps you won't be so hastily beaten next time you try to assume control of a planet." And with that The Thief struck a final chord on the piano, and turned to perceive his delicate work in action._

"Garfield!" Beastboy's head snapped around at the familiar voice. Terra had not entered his life since the last time Beastboy saw her at Jump City High School. But there she was standing in the backyard. His eyes roamed around quickly. A two story house with off white paint and blue shutters greeted him. The orange tiles on top stood out against the sky and he couldn't help but think they were slightly tacky, even by Beastboy's standards. Terra was standing there, a nice set of jeans covered her lower body, and a tank top left her midriff exposed.

"Garfield come!" she had a smile on her face, and she was patting her knees. Beastboy shook his head slowly, trying to clear out the mental cobwebs. How had he gotten here? Before he realized what was happening Terra had stomped forward and was now right in front of him.

"What did I tell you about changing into a human gar, pets don't do that!" she chided him, her voice giving off a rather annoyed tone.

"Hey, I'm _not_ anyone's pet! Besides since when have you thought about me as a pet, or anything for that matter? You ditched me last time I tried to talk to you!" Beastboy growled back to her.

"Don't talk back; we have to get you trained before the baby comes. Now, be a dog!" she said, a hint of viciousness entering her voice. As shocked as Beastboy was about the declaration of a child, what shocked him even more was that he was morphing into a dog. He tried to change back with no success. He gritted his teeth as his jaw and nose elongated, and again found no respite to the horror that was slowly unfolding. He couldn't control his morphing…

Beastboy rose to his feet and glanced around, looking for an exit. He had to get out of here and find the team. Cyborg would be able to help. Maybe she had just put some nanites into his bloodstream. Beastboy wasn't sure what they did but he had heard cyborg talking about them not too long ago.

"Sit, boy."

_Forget that! _

Instead Beastboy decided his speedy exit would be best. He bolted for the side yard, praying to whatever god watched over him there was an exit. He had no such luck.

"Get back here!" terra yelled. He twisted and tried running back, only to find the only escape was blocked by his former girlfriend. He closed his eyes and concentrated on thinking big. He had to become something bigger, gorilla, no, an elephant! Panic was beginning to take hold in Beastboy's chest, even as he felt the change begin.

_That's it! Now I can get the hell out of dodge!_

When he opened his eyes however, the sight sent chills down his spine, and panic was replaced by terror. He was _smaller_. In fact Beastboy was about the size of a field mouse. His eyes cut back and forth quickly before he took off. Beastboy skirted the house and shot past terra in a matter of a second or two. And almost didn't catch the statement that made his heart beat harder and faster then he had ever experienced.

"Why did you do that? Now Mr. Mcfluffers is gonna eat you! Do you know how hard it is to find a shape shifting pet!" no sooner had his brain registered the thought then the famous Mr. Mcfluffers appeared. It knelt down as its eyes lit up. Beastboy shrank to the wall behind him. He had been the cat no more then a week ago and understood exactly what was happening. The cat wanted the thrill of a chase. Beastboy was probably the first bit of food this cat had seen that was alive in days.

Its tail shot back and forth slowly as it eyed its new prey. Beastboy made a split decision and shot left. Safety was in the house, he could probably wait it out in there until another idea came to mind. The cat raced after him, its muscles tensing and releasing like liquid springs. Beastboy squeaked as he leapt for the dog door and slammed his little mouse body into it as hard as he could. He felt it give and quickly shimmied to fit threw the small gap. A quick survey of the surrounding area let him know he was in the dining room. Beastboy took off and no more then a moment later he heard the flap of the doggy door swinging.

Fear flooded his muscles with a strength and speed he rarely believed was possible as he ducked under chairs and around table legs, trying to avoid the hellish beast behind him.

He dodged next to a potted plant that gave him a moment of safety. His lungs burned and the throbbing in the back of his head let him know this poor little body was nearly capable of collapsing.

"Babe, what is Mr. Mcfluffers chasing?" a smooth-as-silk voice called out. Beastboy's eyes darted upward. Recalling the memory Beastboy never remembered what the man looked like, only that two bloody holes existed where a pair of eyes should. He was frozen on the spot, and nothing could have made him move. Nothing except what happened next.

Pain shrieked at Beastboy from his lower back and tail when a shadow and the soft kiss of a gust passed over him. He slammed into the Plants base and took off again, making a break for the archway into another room. The cat got Beastboy good. A blood stump was all that remained of his tail, and a single mean looking slash ran almost the length of his back. Blood was trailing behind him, as was Mr. Mcfluffers. Safety called to Beastboy as he realized he was in the kitchen. From under the fridge that damn cat couldn't get him and so Beastboy swerved left. The stupid cat was still following, and he could swear the cat was actually breathing on him. The fear fueled his legs and he slid under the fridge, as a paw came crashing down in front of him. Beastboy dodge the majority of the giant mass that had threatened to crush him, but his back leg had got caught in the two ton kitty paw. The momentum Beastboy had was enough to carry him under the fridge and away from the thing that sought to make him dinner.

Mr. Mcfluffers took another swipe at him before hissing and sitting. It was only a matter of time and Beastboy knew it. He would either bleed out or the damn cat would find a way to get him. Beastboy shivered, partly because of the fear, and partly because he was starting to lose feeling in his limbs. Beastboy had only felt this a few times, and knew what was happening. His body was losing too much of the precious liquid that kept him alive. He was going to die here under a stupid fridge with that stupid cat in his ex's stupid house! His body began to convulse and he closed his eyes. Beastboy wanted it to stop., he tried shifting again, but the tug in his stomach and the familiar tickling that ran along his skin and in his bones never came. And finally, very slowly his eyes closed and his lungs stopped.

XXX

Raven had just finished her tea and was getting ready to lie down. It was almost three in the morning, Azar knew she wouldn't get any sleep but she would try none the less. No sooner then she had closed her eyes did they shoot open again. Fear was pulsating through her body. Every shadow was a danger, every crack in her room held some monster ready to devour her. Raven gasped for breath as she slowly bent forward. Her lamp cracked and shook as it slowly began to levitate before it finally gave in and shattered. It grabbed Ravens attention and gave her the shock she needed to get herself under control. When finally she had pushed the feelings away, Raven came to the conclusion that it wasn't _her_ emotions that had caused that. She closed her eyes, and almost franticly set about trying to find the source of the fear. The alarm hadn't gone off and everyone was asleep. Then she stumbled across it. Beastboy.

_See? I told you we wouldn't get any sleep!_

_Quiet! This could be important!_

_Yeah, it must be, because he is asleep, it's probably a bad dream. Let's just get some sleep._

… _I really need to stop talking to myself._

_You honestly should._

Raven was snapped out of her stupor when she felt his energy blip out. It was like Beastboy wasn't even in the tower anymore. She bolted out of the room and found Beastboy's door in almost no time. Raven had considered knocking, in case he wasn't decent, but the thought banished itself when she felt a thud come from inside the room. Raven threw the door open and her hands immediately fell into a defensive fighting stance, before falling limply to her sides. Raven stood slack jawed at the sight that greeted her.

Beastboy was sitting in a corner of his room, his eyes wide but dull. Raven knew this look well. She had seen psychics and mages, even priests of Azarath with this look in the throes of a vision. She slowly stepped forward and he scrambled across the room. Beastboy was muttering incoherently as he raced past Raven, and when she reached out to grab him, Beastboy visibly flinched. He crawled under his bed before Raven could get a hand on him and she sighed in frustration.

"What are you doing Beastboy?" she asked, never really expecting a reply. With a bit of resignation in the move Raven slowly got down onto her hands and knee's and looked under the bed.

_He looks terrified. What could have scared him this much?_

She shifted her weight and a squelching noise met her ears. Raven began to realize her hand was wet, and the sight that took hold of her eyes made her realize this night was far from over.

_Its blood… Beastboy's bleeding…_

Raven snapped her head back up to look at Beastboy and all hell broke loose. After a few minutes of processing later did she remember the exact details of what happened.

Beastboy had stopped moving, and all the terror, fear, and pain came crashing down like some legendary storm only ever read about in fantasy novels. The crushing feeling of each emotion took Ravens breath from the inherent safety of her lungs, and caused her arms to buckle underneath her. Dots were floating in Raven's vision and with more effort then she had needed in a long time, she somehow reasserted control over her emotions, and pushed Beastboy's away. With the aid of her dark energy Raven had thrown the bed onto its side so she could reach Beastboy, only to realize his heart had stopped. She pushed off her hands, only vaguely realizing that blood had soaked her shirt.

In the seconds it took her to get to Beastboy his heart had stopped beating. She pulled him over and examined his face, claw marks ran from his forehead to the bottom of his cheeks, and Raven realized how lucky he was that he hadn't taken his eyes out. She laid him on his back and tilted his head backwards and opened his mouth.

"Damn it… you owe me Beastboy." She whispered as she leaned down and plugged his nose. Her lips sealed with his and she exhaled before breaking the connection and pushing on his diaphragm. Just as she thought it would be best to get cyborg up she heard a cough. Looking down she watched Beastboy convulse before coughing again. His eyes slowly opened and faster then she would have thought possible for someone who had just gotten ready to greet death he shot backward.

Beastboy hit the wall, the look of shock and terror on his face took Raven by surprise. It… hurt to see her teammate like this. She slowly inched forward, and let her hand drift outward.

"Beastboy… It's ok… Your fine… Just relax… its me, Raven." When Beastboy heard her name the glassy look in his eyes slowly drifted away. He blinked away the fog and looked around. He was in his room. It looked for the most part destroyed. The computer screen was cracked, and his bed was on its side. Everything was strewn about… but that was normal. Raven looked at her teammate and it dawned on her exactly how much he looked like a frightened animal.

"I...Is it…. O.?" he asked as tears welled up in his eyes. Raven nodded slowly and set an arm on his shoulder." Are you ok?" he shook his head and Raven noticed the shivers that were running through Beastboy's body. She moved her hand up to his face, and he flinched away.

"Relax. You cut yourself. I need to heal it so it won't scar." He nodded and closed his eyes. Raven felt the cold snap around her hand as the blue aura encompassed her hand, and then his face.

"Your heart stopped. I think you were having a nightmare." Beastboy nodded, and a shudder ran threw him as the memories came back. Tears began to drip quietly down his face as the memories played again and again thru his minds eye.

" S… some animals…. They get so scared they can cause their own heart to stop beating." He said as he slowly got control of his voice. He blinked and rubbed the tears out of his eyes. Raven had finished healing his face and looked Beastboy evenly.

"Are you going to be ok?" Beastboy offered a shaky smile and nodded slowly.

"Yeah…" she nodded and went to push herself up. It caught Raven by surprise when he grabbed her hand." Don't go Rae… please…" Raven looked back and after a moment nodded. She twisted and scooted next to him, and after a moment of debate with herself, and much reluctance, wrapped an arm around Beastboy. She had seen Starfire do it countless times, so something about it had to calm people down.

"You should tell cyborg to give you a check up… I don't know what happened, but whatever that was… we don't need it happening on the battlefield, the team can't lose you…"

_And I don't want to see that again… _

_You just say that because you are scared… you can't lose him._

_Quiet._

_You're the one who thinks for us, shut your mind up. Either that, or don't create a voice in your head to avoid dealing with your emotions. _

Raven sighed inwardly. A few months ago, she had done a ritual to attract a spirit to help deal with her emotions. When the voice had started talking to her, Raven had freaked and taken an emergency trip to Azarath to find out what had happened. As it turned out, she had misread the faded text and made a deal with a Doppelganger. It was allowed to enter her mind and feed off of her emotions, and in return take a shape similar to hers and act as a mirror.

At first she had wanted it gone, and had looked up the banishing ritual, but Raven had stumbled upon the conclusion that this other her dealt with some of her emotions. It literally took some of the weight off of her shoulders. Things had gotten better after the defeat of her father. Raven could feel more without things exploding, but with this new found help, it took something major to cause an incident.

Raven snapped out of her reverie when a small snore had perforated her ear. Beastboy had fallen asleep with his head on her shoulder. At first she tried to move, but every time Raven moved Beastboy would move closer. Finally she had given up on escaping and looked at her green friend.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Raven whispered. A small smile brushed her face, and she decided to let it remain, after all, no one could see her and nothing was blowing up. Eventually her eyelids sank and sleep wrapped its warm hold around her. Her head drooped till it rested against Beastboy's, and finally the two got some quiet and rather restful sleep.

_The Thief smiled. It had gone beautifully. He could FEEL Trigon looking at the orb. Oh how he imagined the Foolish demon looked._

"_Ah yes… I did not have to threaten, or kill, or maim, or destroy… those things simply pass time… but this… each delicious emotion to feed on, each little dose of fear… even the feelings of comfort are so succulent… to build someone up so that you can rip them down… that is power Trigon." He chuckled softly and twisted in his seat. His fingers danced as he played the piano once more. The tone was soothing, a soft lullaby of sorts. It made Trigon want to kill something._

"_Why such wretched music?" The Thief shook his head. Why the master wanted a young demon such as this would have been beyond him, were he any other being…_

"_You do not break a metal bar in half with brute force, you bend it back and forth, yanking it one way, and then another, and wear on it until it snaps like a twig. The same thing can be done with the mind."_

_XxX _

This was totally a hard chapter to write. At first the nightmare was only supposed to be the beginning of it, but as always my fingers have a mind of their own, they took the idea and ran with it.

As for Raven split personality, I was looking threw it and realized I was portraying her as a Psycho when she really isn't. So I sped up the explanation of it a couple of chapters.

So, if you would, kindly review. It means a lot to me and it takes no more then a minute or two of your time. Considering this chapter took a couple of days to write I think it's a fair trade . lol

Again thanks RaeSM for Proofreading. And thanks to RascalKat and FelynxTiger for Reviewing. It really means a lot. After getting some feedback I'll start a chapter three. Tell me what you guy's think! It totally helps me provide a much more fufilling story.

Blessed Be

Baconbitz


	3. The Anvil is Prepared

Hey guys, so yeah here is chapter three. I am totally having a blast writing this story and I hope you're having fun as well. Got a lot of Stuff planned over the next few chapters. As always, Kudos to RaeSM for proof reading and encouragement.

Now that I know for a fact The Thief is a solid character that's going to stick around I figured I would give a little background on him in general. He is not one of my characters; I actually have him on loan from a fellow writer who is just about to post his first story here on fan fiction. When he finishes his account and posts a story I will totally link it for you guys. Anyway, Kudos to him, as his source character was a beautiful addition to the story.

Now before I ramble much more here is chapter three.

Baconbitz

xXx

The next few days passed without much incident, which came as a relief to Raven. The ocean softly lapped onto her nest of rocks next to the tower. The sun had yet to rise, and as a result it was still quite chilly out. Raven didn't mind too much, however, as meditation always seemed to keep the physical problems away, at least until later. She slowly chanted her mantra as she began to mull things over in her head. Things had returned to what would loosely be considered normal in her home. Ravens dreams had subsided, and now that she was getting enough sleep that she could concentrate on dealing with other issues that had begun to rear their ugly heads.

_Issues huh?_

_Yes issues. Something doesn't feel right._

_No wonder. We hide away from our emotions, and then it feels weird when one finally makes it out, or rather when someone finally makes his way in._

As Always with Ravens doppelganger, the conversation swerved from what she saw as important, to something she really didn't feel like discussing. Raven felt her team was in trouble. The nagging in the back of her mind just wouldn't go away, and when she needed introspection the most, the single being that could help her wanted to pull a Starfire.

_That's not what I was talking about…What do you mean 'makes his way in'?_

_Oh come on, we aren't that blind. Anyway, Even if we were, we can still feel that little jump when he walks by, or that giddiness when we catch his eyes following us... Not to sound weird or anything but I think…_

_Not trying to sound weird? That's a First._

_Oh ha ha. That's got me rolling around in your mind…_

_At least you have our sarcastic streak._

_Back to the point, Raven. Whenever you are around him, it's like this stifling blanket gets shoved over our emotions. In case you forgot I FEED off of the ambient energy the body releases when it feels strong emotions. I need those to survive, and whenever Beastboy walks into the room its like I get starved because you can't just deal with it. _

Ravens frustration was slowly beginning to surface. Rocks near her had begun to vibrate and the water in front of her seemed to be trying to crawl away. This was not unnoticed, but simply disregarded by the half demoness.

_That's because we are DANGEROUS. The last thing I need is for one of my friends to accidently explode because I can't handle feeling his emotions._

_Pfft. Stop lying to yourself. Heheh, His emotions... your better then that and if your going to keep trying at least get better at it._

A rock next to raven shot off, skipping across the water a few times before it finally sank into the oceans depths. Others had begun to crack and slowly melt. This was starting to get out of hand. When meditating one was supposed to find peace, not be forced to talk with something that thought it could play matchmaker. Raven was beginning to think this Doppelganger was a bad idea.

_Look, despite our… interesting heritage, we are a teenager. Anyone else would be flirting or, Azar forbid, dating. _

_Who said anything about dating?_

_We did, or at least you thought about it. I'm just a mirror Raven, I show you what you love and hate when you can't. Even if you don't admit it to yourself I will, I thrive off of emotions, and yours have been cooped up so long that if even one of them out, even for an instant would be a feast fit for Morphos himself. _

_I DON'T love him, if that's where you're going with this._

_No, but you like him. Even his stupid jokes sometimes make you want to laugh._

_Why are you so stuck on that?_

_Oh a few reasons. It's frustrating because no matter what you do he always comes back. We have humiliated, abused, berated, insulted, laughed at, physically harmed, and treated Beastboy like a doormat. Even with all of that, he has always come back. Your afraid if you decide to follow this to its logical conclusion then he will leave. You KNOW if you keep hurting him he will come back. He has every other time. What if the next time is the last time? What if another Terra shows up but he won't come to us because everything we have done? I believe you should think on this for a little while. It seems like that's all you want to do._

With that the Doppelganger retreated to the back of her mind. At this point the tides were going the wrong way, and a quick glance around had indicated not many of the rocks were as lucky as the first one. Shards of the geodes littered the ground around and under raven.

"Just great." Raven whispered softly. Despite the extreme annoyance at the spirit, she closed her eyes and logically thought about the last few things the being had to say. It was true; if Beastboy had left it wouldn't feel right. This was the team, it was HER team. Besides her mother, this was the only family Raven had. And Beastboy… well, she could deal with that later. Her stomach made itself known with a soft grumble, indicating that while she hadn't been cold or hungry while meditating, the symptoms of mortality did indeed return with a vengeance once meditation was over.

Raven landed on the ground and turned, having decided a meal was definitely in order. The sun had just started peeking over the horizon, and her hopes were that no one would be awake yet. The lull in super villain crimes had given the team a break that raven, at the very least, had desired. The others didn't mind so much either, although sometimes robin would head out and stop some purse snatchers or minor thieves. It was encoded into him at some point with his training from batman. Robin needed to stop them; after all, his mind set was that if he didn't who would?

Much to ravens surprise someone was up. Cyborg was making his waffles, and the definite sound of bacon sizzling on a pan greeted her ears. Not a moment later the aroma of a home cooked breakfast wafted over her. This made ravens mouth water.

"Is there enough for two?" she asked, a look of want pulling at her face when her eyes found the meal that was well on its way to being cooked and ready for its horrible demise in Cyborg's stomach.

"You know it, Raven. Warm maple syrup on golden brown waffles topped with butter and bacon, sausage, eggs, and hash browns on the side…" A look of pleasure shot across the metal mans face as Cyborg talked about his labor of love. "Even thinking about making some Cinnamon toast. This is a good ol fashion meal."

This caused a small smirk to briefly flit across her face. This was going to be good.

XXX

Beastboy wandered into the living room a few hours after the meal was finished. Robin had woke up just in time to catch the feast, although Starfire had not. Cyborg found this comforting, as he felt his home cooked meals didn't need mold or alien fruits or, god forbid, Blorthgan… Whatever that was. His meals were just fine. Cyborg's eyes set on Beastboy and a frown crossed his face.

"Yo BB, you ok man?" he asked after watching him for a moment.

"Yeah Cy, just didn't sleep too well last night… not that the smell of your breakfast helped any." He said as a disgusted look crossed his face. The smell had long gone to everyone else, but whatever was causing the more animalistic features of his nature become more apparent helped him to notice… well everything. The slight smell of ozone coming from cyborg, the perfume Starfire had tried to discreetly put on, the smell of bacon… a shiver ran down his spine as Beastboy collapsed on the couch. Raven, who had been sitting on the end of the couch shot him an annoyed look, briefly wondered if his nightmare the other night had been the only on. It wasn't highly noticeable; however, Raven was the meticulous type.

Beastboy looked like raven had just after her nightmares started… maybe it was a flu virus or something… something that caused a form of delirium… raven mental bookmarked the idea and figured she would go to Cyborg later about it.

"So, who wants to do some drills later today? Not much has happened, so I figured I would set up a training coarse run today." Robin asked as he looked around.

"Too Tired…" Beastboy groaned as he looked over to the boy wonder. Cyborg shook his head when robin looked over to him.

"Sorry man got work on the T ship to do, guess who just got the newest, and greatest, variant of the XLM Hydro Tank Boosters?" Cyborg called as he started for the elevator.

"Reading." Raven simply said over the edge of her book.

"I would enjoy some training Robin, if it is not too much trouble. Perhaps you could show me more of this Fu of Kung. This Kung must have been a fierce warrior!" Starfire said excitedly as she rounded the kitchen table. Robin shrugged." Sure no problem. Though I don't think we need the whole track for that." He said with a chuckle. "I suppose we could use the training room."

"Get a room!" Beastboy yelled, his voice muffled by the couch his face was shoved in. Even if robin had heard it, he probably would have just shrugged it off. How many people got to say they were dating the most beautiful girl this side of the universe?

Raven shook her head at them before continuing to read her book. Despite much whispered mutters, no one had guessed what raven really read. While she had decided to leave that to debate, today it was a book she had gotten on loan from a Shaman. See's The Hidden Mask, or Mask for short, was a very eccentric Shaman. From what Raven had caught, he said he was first an animal before taking on a human form, and that his kind was a part of a culture dedicated to fighting things like Trigon. When Raven had finally found this man after her nightmares had begun to take an impact on her life.

Mask simply provided her with this book. It was on demons and their effects on the Dreaming. What made her finally look into it was the vision Beastboy had gotten. It hadn't said much more then that some demons fed on the fear of mortals, and so would mentally torture them to gain sustenance. However so far she had barely been able to keep focus on the book for too long before an interruption had stopped her. This had happened to raven since just after breakfast.

It was both frustrating and unique. Normally Raven could sink into a book and just about nothing could faze her. This time however, it was almost like ravens eyes were _trying_ to slide off of the page. They would find anything else to look at, robin escorting Starfire out of the room, the ocean outside, even Beastboy's eyes.

She was shocked out of her own thoughts when she noticed Beastboy's eyes looking up to her from her lap. They were half closed and she could swear he was snoring. When he had made his way over was lost on raven, all she was really concentrating on was not blowing up anything. His upper fangs poked out from under his lip, and one of his hands was uselessly hanging near the floor.

"B...east…boy?" she stammered out. Beastboy muttered something groggily and shifted until he was facing the TV. and his knees had come up to his chest. She glanced around and bit her bottom lip. A fluttering had softly started in her chest, and the beginnings of a blush had slowly begun to form at her neck. As it worked its way slowly up ravens face, she glanced at the book. It could offer some solace for this situation.

_I'm telling you, don't hide from it. I've been starved, and this tastes so good._

_What tastes good? There is nothing good about this!_

_A drop of fear and anxiety, mixed with joy and a hint of longing. Raven this is what you called me to do. Just relax, don't run from the situation, and don't instigate it. Just enjoy reading your book, and please don't hide again. It hurts me when you do._

_All your worried about is your meal._

_I'm serious, and I'm not worried about my meal… that much. You forget the ritual caused us to Be As One. Until the ritual completes itself, or you boot me out we are essentially one person. You can block out your pain, and your fear. I can't. I need to use those and as such when you run from something like this, or anything for that matter I suffer for it. I feel torn because I know what you won't let yourself go thru. _

…

_Look, just try it. just sit here. You don't have to do anything, and if someone walks in just say… you were waiting for him to wake up so you could see the look on his face when he goes flying!_

_You're twisted. _

_I pride myself on it. _

Raven slowly glanced around, before setting her eyes on Beastboy once more. No one was around, so for now, maybe she could just… let things be. After all what harm could it possibly do? It's not like the world would end if Raven allowed little moment to slip by…

_XXX_

_In their dark hole, this forbidden place where gods would not tread, the sound of music floated out to hang in the air. The notes were soft and forgiving, like some soft silk blanket holding the promise of a good nights rest. Unbeknownst to the only listener was the dark undertone. It whispered of deceit, of pain and loss. It slid as a snake would, hidden, quiet amongst the background, waiting to strike._

_Trigon shifted his weight, he was getting impatient. He had been locked away for far too long and this being's little games were beginning to wear on any semblance of patience he never had. The glowing orb that had floated for the past few days near the piano showed the scene in the tower. It made Trigon sick. A demon catering to a pathetic mortal._

"_Now for your first lesson youngling. You see, now is the time. They have begun to let their guard down." The voice called. Trigon growled softly. He was a DEMON LORD; if not for his weakened state he would have demolished this lesser form of filth from his dimension. "This is something that will appeal to your Brutish nature. It does, however, serve my purposes just as well. I spoke of using a lesser being to control a situation. Now it is time to take that thought and turn it a controllable action. Take a piece of you… give it form and thought. Give it purpose, give it life, and then remove your essence from it." Trigon found himself confused at the very idea._

"_Fool! If I create something it will not be some pathetic mortal. I have seen how uncontrollable they are."_

"_Trust me." The words came out soft as satin, and churned with so much more meaning then any mere child like Trigon could understand. Slowly, begrudgingly Trigon began his work. In his current state it would take a while yet to create a pawn. Soon, he promised himself, soon there would be no need for all this cloak and dagger nonsense._

"_Make its form something from their planet. When they look for the source it should be in their own backyard. We don't want them looking too closely now. Do not make it to strong; we want them to win this first small battle…"_

XXX

So, a cookie and a One-shot for the person who can guess where See's The Hidden Mask is from. Good luck lol. sorry it took so long to get this posted, some stuff came up, anyway, hopefully the next chapter will be ready soon. have fun guys, happy Singles Awareness Day.


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